


Fluff

by dwarrowdams



Series: Eadgyd, But Not Sad [2]
Category: TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Gen, Rabbits
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:34:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25871458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dwarrowdams/pseuds/dwarrowdams
Summary: Eadgyd rescues a baby rabbit.  Set a few months before "Honey-Sweet" (almost two years pre-campaign).  TW for mentions of animal cruelty.
Series: Eadgyd, But Not Sad [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1877335
Comments: 1
Kudos: 1
Collections: All the Eadgyd All the Time





	Fluff

**Author's Note:**

> Don't worry, the rabbit is okay in the end! (Just wanted to make sure y'all could read without worrying that the rabbit might not make it.)
> 
> Anyways, this is me combining two of my hyperfixations (rabbits and Tolkien) so the words just spilled out of me.

Eadgyd heard the scream when she and Eadgar were less than half a mile from home.

She stopped in her tracks, causing Eadgar to almost run into her.

“Don’t stop now—we’re almost home,” he said somewhat exasperatedly.

“I’m not stalling—I thought I heard a scream,” she said. “Wait a moment.”

They paused and sure enough, a scream came from nearby.

“I’ll go,” Eadgyd said, gesturing in the direction of the sound. “Look for anything that might tell what happened.”

Eadgar nodded before heading in the opposite direction.

Eadgyd moved as swiftly as she could, her eyes scanning the ground for anything that might indicate the source of the noise. After several paces, she saw the source of the sound.

The screams came from a rabbit kit with an arrow stuck in its side. It was small—just over a week old, she guessed, since its eyes were barely open—and clearly in pain from the wound. She scooped it gently into her hands, but the motion startled the creature and it flailed, trying to escape.

“Shh,” she said. “You’re going to be all right. I’m going to take you home and make you all better.”

The rabbit calmed at her words, its screams ceasing.

As she looked at the kit’s small injured body, she cursed whoever had left it like this. She bore no love for those who would injure an animal and leave it to die in pain: especially one that was far too small to be used for meat or clothing.

“Stay still,” she murmured to it as she headed back towards where she’d left Eadgar. “I don’t want you any more hurt than you already are.”

The kit’s breathing was still labored, but it remained still as Eadgyd carried it. She walked slowly so as not to disturb it further.

Thankfully, Eadgar hadn’t ventured far and was soon within sight. “Did you find anything?

Eadgyd nodded and held out her hands, showing him the injured kit.

His face paled as he looked at it. “I think I found its nest,” he said. “Or what was left of it, rather. I’m not sure whether it was man or beast, but there’s nothing left of any kits or their mother. All I saw was some dried grass and some scraps of fur. If there were any other kits there, I doubt they were alive.”

Eadgyd ducked her head in sorrow. The kit might have lost its home and its family, but she would do whatever she could to insure that this rabbit lived.

“Break off the end of the shaft,” she said to Eadgar. “I don’t want to hurt it by moving the arrow.”

He nodded, snapping off the better part of it. “I’ll go ahead of you and gather herbs,” he said. “I hope Avina can help.”

Eadgyd nodded. “Tell her I may be a while,” she said. “I’m going to go very slowly.”

“I’m not,” Eadgar said before rushing off, nearly running into a tree in the process.

Eadgyd smiled at her brother before setting off at a much slower pace, murmuring words of comfort to the kit every so often. Once she arrived, she kicked at the door, hoping that someone would answer.

Thankfully, Avina seemed unfazed when she opened the door. “Eadgar said you were on your way, but it’d take a while,” she said. “I wasn’t quite sure how long a while was, but he seemed too worried to give details. He said something about an injured kit—no idea what kind of kit he meant—before running out to get herbs.”

Eadgyd opened her hands, showing Avina the rabbit kit. “We found it on our way home, not far from the remains of its nest. Can you help it?”

Avina eyed the creature, leaning close to see where the arrow had struck it. “I think so,” she said. “Rabbits are delicate creatures, though, so whether or not it lives is up to fate.”

Eadgyd nodded. “What do you need?”

“Clean tools and cloths,” she said. “And quiet. If you can, get Frida out of the house for a bit. Once he’s done with the herbs, take Eadgar with you as well—whenever he tries to be cautious, he winds up walking into walls and furniture more than normal.”

“I think I can manage all of that,” Eadgyd replied. “Frida’s been asking us how to survive if she got lost in the forest and I’d rather her learn it from us than go wandering off and try to do it herself.”

Avina nodded briskly. “Keep them away for at least an hour—I should be through the worst of it by then,” she said.

“Simple enough,” Eadgyd said, taking one last look at the kit before hurrying down the hall to find her sister.

***

Thankfully, Frida and Eadgar were more than happy to run off to the woods for a while. She and Eadgar managed to teach Frida how to build a shelter for herself and which plants were safe to eat: skills that had saved both of their lives more than once. They were gone for longer than Avina needed and it was nearly dark when they returned. She’d sent Eadgar and Frida to get some more herbs and water for the kit before she knocked quietly on the door, hoping that she didn’t startle Avina.

Avina opened the door a few moments later, looking considerably worse for the wear.

Eadgyd stepped inside and closed the door before she dared to speak. “How is it?”

“Stable,” Avina said, running a hand through her badly mussed hair. “The arrow wasn’t too deep and the bleeding slowed once I treated it. We’ll need to keep it under our care, but it should be all right.”

Eadgyd pulled her sister into an embrace. “Thank you,” she said. “I know it was difficult, but I couldn’t stand to let it die alone.”

“I would do this a thousand times over before letting a kit die in such a manner,” Avina said. “It pains me to know that there are those who have grown so cruel.”

Eadgyd gave Avina a final squeeze before pulling back. “I feel the same, sister,” she said. “There is no reason to treat a kit thusly.”

Avina shook her head. “I am only glad that I was able to prevent more harm from being done.”

Eadgyd nodded before her gaze turned towards the kit, which Avina had placed in a blanket-lined basket. Avina had bandaged its wound well, and although it barely moved, its breathing was steady and its eyes were no longer wide with fear.

“You’ve done well, sister,” she said. “Now get some rest. I’ll clean up.”

“Thank you,” Avina replied before heading off to her room.

There wasn’t much to clean, so Eadgyd was able to have the kitchen table looking normal just in time for Frida to come in with the water.

“What happened?” she asked as she set the dish down on the table.

“Avina helped save a hurt rabbit kit,” Eadgyd said.

Frida’s eyes lit up with curiosity as she peeped into the basket. “Can I hold it?” she asked.

Eadgyd shook her head. “Not just yet, Frida,” she said. “It’s still very fragile, but as soon as it’s well enough to hold, you can be the first to hold it.”

She picked up the dish and set it in the basket, careful not to spill any.

“Will it have to go back to its family when it’s all better?” Frida asked.

Eadgyd shook her head sorrowfully. “It doesn’t have family anymore, dear,” she said. “Eadgar and I aren’t sure what happened, but the nest with all of its siblings was destroyed and there was no sign of the mother. Unless she shows up, we’ll have to help it.”

Frida’s eyes lit up. “Can I take care of it?” she asked. “I want to make sure that it grows up strong and healthy.”

“Of course, dear,” Eadgyd said, leaning down to kiss her sister on the forehead. “It’ll be lucky to have you to care for it.”

Frida beamed up at her sister. “Does it need anything else?”

“Not yet, but once it’s well enough, you’ll have to get milk for it and find some way to feed it,” Eadgyd said. “I know that calves will take milk from a skin or a cloth, but the rabbit might be too small for that.”

“Then I need to start now,” Frida said as she rushed off to her room. “I need to know how to feed Sage when they’re ready to eat!”

“Sage?”

Frida turned and nodded at Eadgyd. “That’s what I’m calling it,” she said. “It works for any gender and it seems like a good name for a rabbit.”

Eadgyd smiled. “Not because you like the scent of it?”

Frida shrugged. “Perhaps it’s both.”

“It’s a good name,” Eadgyd said. “Now go on and figure out how you might give Sage milk—but don’t stay up too late.”

Frida simply grinned before rushing off.

Eadgyd had a suspicion that Frida wouldn’t heed the second part of her instructions, but she wouldn’t trouble herself too much. She could rest easy knowing that Avina and Frida would take good care of Sage.

**Author's Note:**

> In case anyone's curious: yes, rabbits do actually scream when they're scared and it does sound exactly like a human screaming. I've only heard it once but it's just as chilling as it sounds.
> 
> And yes, baby rabbits are called kits! (Adult males are bucks and adult females are does, in case you were curious.)
> 
> You will likely be seeing more of Sage the rabbit because why would I turn down a chance to write about two of my favorite things? (I will also include more info about rabbits in the comments because who am I to turn down an opportunity to infodump?)
> 
> Also, for clarity's sake, Eadgar is dyspraxic (a condition that involves having poor motor skills, hence him almost running into both Eadgyd and a tree in this chapter; also an explanation as to why Avina wanted him out of the house when she was playing vet). I figured out I was dyspraxic around the same time I wrote this and I don't think I've ever actually consumed a piece of media with a dyspraxic character, so now myself and all the other dyspraxic folks have Eadgar!
> 
> (I may or may not have an idea for a fic that involves him tripping on a rug and spraining his ankle. It may or may not be based on something that actually happened to me.)
> 
> Next up will probably be a story set after the arc of the campaign that we finished last week, so while Eadgyd's moniker is technically "the Sad," the fic will be anything but sad.
> 
> Please comment if you enjoyed this and feel free to follow me elsewhere.
> 
> Tumblr: dwarrowdams  
> Twitter: @_tenderqueer


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